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Cauliflower ear cured with splints

FOR rugby players and boxers they are either a badge of honour or an ugly reminder of the most bruising encounters of their sporting careers.

However, cauliflower ears could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new treatment developed by Scots doctors.

The disfigurement — acute auricular haematoma — is caused by repeated blows to the ear causing a build-up of blood between the skin and cartilage.

Unless the condition is treated, the cartilage, which gives the ear its shape, can die, making the ear shrivel and look like a cauliflower.

Until now the only treatment has been to drain blood from the ear, which is then bound tight with a bandage, or cosmetic surgery to rebuild the damaged organ. Leeches have also been used to drain the blood from battered ears.

However, the techniques are often ineffective and many professional sportsmen are reluctant to undergo surgery because it